C-SQD forgoes formal qualification requirements for reviewer status and instead relies on community-driven endorsements from established reviewers. This approach encourages a naturally emerging baseline of expertise and reliability, while allowing capable individuals to gain recognition without specific credentials. However, because any endorsements made are part of a reviewer's public record, care should be taken to avoid frivolous or excessive endorsements.
Criteria for Reviewer Status
After an initial grace period, where criteria may be relaxed to build the user base, prospective reviewers must meet at least one of the following conditions:
- Endorsement from an Expert Synthesis Reviewer:
A prospective reviewer can receive an endorsement from a reviewer who has completed at least one SynthesisReview. This endorsement indicates that someone who has already demonstrated credibility vouches for the new reviewer’s potential. - Multiple Endorsements from Established Reviewers:
A prospective reviewer can instead receive a set number of endorsements from reviewers who each have completed a required number of public ElementReviews. This option allows the community to build trust through collective judgment rather than a single expert’s recommendation.
Endorsement Details
All endorsements must specify the field(s) to which they apply. This ensures that endorsements are meaningful within a particular area of expertise. Endorsements become part of both the endorser’s and endorsee’s public profiles, helping other users understand the nature and source of each endorsement. New platform users can request endorsement from existing users with reviewer status.
Long-Term Effects
As more individuals gain reviewer status through endorsements and experience, the reviewer pool will grow and diversify. Over time, a stable network of qualified reviewers will emerge, supported by transparent records of endorsements and professional relationships.
This system is not designed to exclude qualified individuals. Instead, it is intended to make the process of becoming a recognized reviewer clear and consistent. It also encourages established reviewers to support new ones, creating a self-sustaining environment where reviewer quality and reliability improve as the platform matures.